FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEâ€¨Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial Secures its Legacy and Future with Eastern National

Fort Washington, PA, March 31, 2015: Diane Carlson Evans, Founder and President of the Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial Foundation (VWMF), is pleased to announce exciting advances in the management of programs related to the Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial. The Foundationâ€™s directors selected Eastern National, an association recognized by Congress to promote the educational and interpretive mission of the National Park Service, to assume the operating mission of the Foundation.

Eastern National is a philanthropic organization that enhances the publicâ€™s understanding of 150 national parks and other public trusts by providing quality educational experiences, products, and services. â€śI am confident that Eastern National and the National Park Service will provide the stewardship necessary to carry the historic torch of Vietnam-era women veteransâ€™ legacies, now and into the future. The Foundation dedicated the first monument on the National Mall that honors American womenâ€™s patriotic service, achievement, courage, and sacrifice. Since that time, womenâ€™s contributions no longer hide in the shadows but inspire us every day, and will continue to do so under Eastern National management,â€ť says Evans, who served in the U.S. Army as a nurse in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.

â€śWe are honored by the Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial Foundation Boardâ€™s decision to entrust its mission to Eastern National, and we humbly accept this responsibility,â€ť said Eastern National CEO George Minnucci. â€śWe will always be mindful of the commitment the Foundation has shown in their efforts to preserve and promote the legacy of the military and civilian women who demonstrated selfless dedication to duty during the Vietnam era.â€ť

The Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial Project (later changed to â€śFoundationâ€ť) was formed in April 1984 to assure that one of the most heroic chapters in Americaâ€™s history be recognized and remembered. The VWMF led the effort to place a monument on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial commemorating the contributions and sacrifices of the more than 265,000 military and civilian women who served during the Vietnam era. With the 1993 dedication of the Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial, sculpted by Glenna Goodacre, the women who served during the Vietnam era are part of the nationâ€™s collective consciousness and stand near their brother and sister veterans whose names are on the Wall. The VWMF holds regular events such as â€śIn Their Own Words: Storytelling at the Vietnam Womenâ€™s Memorial,â€ť a first person oral storytelling tradition held on the National Mall every Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Following dissolution of the VWMF, â€śStorytellingâ€ť and other activities will continue under the administrative support of Eastern National, and with the guidance of an Advisory Group that consists of former members of the VWMF board.

The Foundation and Eastern National are grateful to the dedicated volunteers, organizations, and individuals who have faithfully supported the VWMF with their gifts of time, talents, and resources.